The Memorial Day holiday is right around the corner. Bookings for air tours on Grand Canyon helicopters are skyrocketing.
Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 26th this year. Since it is a three-day weekend, many people head for the Grand Canyon. So don’t wait until the last minute to book your trip. It is always a good idea to book your hotel and Grand Canyon tour at least one or two weeks ahead of time.
Tours of the canyon originate in Las Vegas, Sedona, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Scottsdale, and Williams.
Las Vegas Tours To The West Rim
First, it’s important to know that choppers flying from Vegas only do the West Rim. The South Rim is just too far for them.
However, that is certainly no problem, because the West Rim is a lot of fun. You can fly to the floor of the canyon at the West Rim, and that is the only place it is permitted in the National Park. The descent is a thrilling experience.
Las Vegas tours come in two types, one is air-only and the other lands at the canyon. Both of these tour types give you aerial views of Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, the Skywalk, and the Grand Canyon. The landing tours, though, also touch down at the top or at the bottom of the gorge (the latter is way more popular). Once the canyon floor, you can enjoy a relaxing lunch or add on a boat ride along the smooth waters of the Colorado River.
The Vegas chopper tours depart from an airfield in Boulder City, Nevada or from the Vegas Strip.
Strip flights are better for several reasons. It is certainly more convenient to your hotel and the tours even pick you up at your hotel and take you back. If you take a tour out of Boulder City, you will ride a van shuttle to the airfield. If you depart from the Strip instead, the tour operator picks you up in a limo. How cool is that? You also get to see the Strip as part of the tour.
South Rim Flights
South Rim helicopter tours are ideal when you depart from a city in Arizona. Just keep in mind, none of those tours can land at the bottom of the canyon.
The South Rim has its own claim to fame though, and that is its natural beauty because of the wilderness area it encompasses.
There are two tours available here too, one of them is thirty minutes long and the other one lasts fifty minutes. The longer tour is best because it flies you over about 3/4 of the entire National Park area.
Combo tours are also available at this Rim. Right now, the two most popular combo trips are the ones that include a ride on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and the ones that include a sunset Jeep ride (it’s not overly rough).
Look for a deluxe option when you book your flight. Why do that? These tours use the EcoStar 130 choppers and they offer an exceptional experience. These helicopters have huge windshields that wrap around the cabin so you have great views, plus you have lots of personal space and stadium-style seating for unobstructed sightseeing. EcoStars are really the only way to go.
To Summarize
The Grand Canyon will be much busier than normal during Memorial Day weekend. The date is fast approaching, so book your tour as soon as possible. If you plan to depart from Vegas, choose a tour that takes off from the Strip. Both rims offer tours on EcoStar choppers, so try to snag a seat on one of them for the best flight possible.
Yes its almost time to start thinking about the holidays again: shopping for gifts, planning celebrations, and eating food! Once Thanksgiving arrives, the holiday season can seem like a non-stop eating contest straight through the end of the year! That can mean 5-6 weeks with lots of extra food!
The holiday season should be a time of celebration with friends and family, but it doesnt have to mean that healthy, mindful eating has to go by the wayside. A few changes in the way you think about food at special events can keep you on track during this busy and stressful time of year.
* Lots of goodies and snacks can make their way into your place of work in the days or weeks leading up to the actual holidays. Make it a point to eat 6-7 servings of fruit and vegetables every work day. Fill up on these lower calorie foods each day, and you will find yourself eating less of the calorie-laden foods that seem to be everywhere!
* Dont go to an event hungry! When you are hungry, its difficult to resist tempting high calorie foods, and you may end up over-eating. Try having a small meal or snack before you go. This can be especially helpful when there are lots of appetizers before a meal. If you are not hungry, you can resist a lot of the extra calories that come from appetizers.
* If you are at a buffet, look for a few lower calorie foods (like vegetables) that can fill up part your plate. Stick with one plate of food and avoid multiple trips to the buffet line. Remember, just because its there doesnt mean you have to try it all!
* Give yourself permission to have that special dessert, but stick to just one. When theres a table full of desserts at a celebration, do you really need to sample them all? Pick the one you would enjoy the most and have it! You will feel just as satisfied if you savor the dessert you want, instead of trying everything.
* Dont forget about the “liquid calories” found in wine, mixed drinks and eggnog. These can really add up fast. Once youve had a drink or two, try switching over to club soda with a twist of lemon or lime.
* Dont abandon your exercise plan during the holiday season. Taking 4-6 weeks off from your usual exercise routine makes it difficult to get started again after New Years day. If you dont exercise at all, now is a good time to start. Starting a physical activity does not require elaborate equipment or a huge investment of your time. If you are really busy, you could start simply by walking for 15 minutes a day. If 15 minutes is all you can manage during the holiday season, thats OK!
Make your holidays more about enjoying time with friends and family. With a little preparation, you can face the holiday food frenzy head-on and have no regrets about what you eat. That could mean no guilt and no resolutions needed on New Years Day!
2011, Gretchen Scalpi, RD, CDE. Publication rights granted to all venues so long as article and by-line are reprinted intact and all links are made live.
It is the time of year when we begin to experience cool air, changing leaf colors, increased visits by our family and friends, and for most, attention paid to affordable indoor holiday decorating ideas. Its time spent in the attic, garage and that closet that gets the least attention the rest of year by those who are looking for ways to decorate for the holidays without breaking the bank. Fortunately, affordable indoor holiday decorating ideas are a great way to celebrate the holidays and still have money left for the New Year.
Start at the Front Door
Stepping into a home with a table in the foyer area covered by a nutcracker runner, or floral Christmas basket will immediately set the mood for the festive occasion. Red bows hung in the foyer or a hallway decorated by lighted string Christmas card holder can be a warm greeting for a visitor. A snowman rug or welcome mat inside the front door will convey a greeting, saying “We are glad you are here to join us in celebrating the season.” Dont ignore the opportunity to make the first impression a statement of celebration and welcome. Indoor decorating the entrance into the home can be very affordable.
Decorate the Common Areas
The lighted Christmas tree need not be the only effective decoration. Throw pillows decorated with the seasons theme for the sofa or chairs are an inexpensive and yet expressive way to celebrate the season. Lighted cordless wreaths and garland are becoming more and more affordable and are great ways to decorate a mantle or the top of a door frame. Lighted cordless corner swags will welcome the visitor as they pass through a doorway from one room into another. Ceramic snowmen on the end tables or colorful Santa doorstops can be used as affordable but effective ways to decorate.
Include the Food
Decorating ideas should include those areas were food is being served. Most families will entertain by having others into their home for dinner or snacks. A holiday centerpiece is an inexpensive way to dress up one of the most central areas of holiday gatherings. Candles are always an affordable way to decorate a table. A hurricane lamp globe with a candle inside and surrounded by garland is an inexpensive festive and seasonal centerpiece. A Santas sleigh votive candle set will please children and adults alike. While children are often focused on the lighted Christmas tree, adults are most often focused on the food. A suede holly and poinsettia decorated table runner will add festive color to the serving table. Nutcracker place mats and napkins can be an affordable way to decorate. Holiday chair covers complete the holiday dining experience.
Deck the Halls and Walls and Nooks and Corners
Wall decorations are festive and need not be expensive. Christmas holiday paintings and photos are eye catching and pleasing and add to the atmosphere of celebration. Fireplace screens and magnets, music boxes, Christmas plates and wire holders, plush animals sitting around on tables and chairs, hanging Advent calendars and Santa cookie jars are all affordable and expressive ways to celebrate.
Indoor holiday decorating ideas do not have to be expensive and complicated. After all, the season is to be enjoyed, and should not be a season of stress brought on by excessive spending for decorations. A persons expression of joy and celebration that results from this holiday season can be displayed by doing thoughtful decorating with little expense.
Planning a holiday with the family is always an adventure in itself and can be a lot of fun if planned methodologically. Perhaps the most important decision you can make for an interesting and exciting break is choosing the right holiday plan that keeps everyone suitably entertained and relaxed.
As seen in travel brochures or on the Internet, there are heaps of options available for one. Many tour companies today offer special adventure holidays for families; typically where small groups can enjoy outdoor activities like rafting, bungee jumping, cycling and climbing, etc., while others can focus on cultural interests.
Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities offered in activity holidays. In this feature, we have shared with you the top 5 reasons to choose a family adventure holiday this year:
1.Cost and Quality: With Family adventure holidays you get what you pay for. Tour companies offer quality holidays with minimal time wasted or organisational hassles. They will do the groundwork for you and find out the best spots to visit. Your holiday will be fun with no hassle and no worries. A family adventure holiday is sure to provide a memorable trip and can be done at budget and time to suit your needs.
2.No Brainstorming for Planning is Involved: When you opt for a family adventure holiday, the burden of planning every last detail is put on the shoulders of the professionals because the itinerary of such trips is set prior to the departure. You can enjoy your holiday with your family without any stress of mapping out every intricate detail and can immerse yourself completely in the joy of boating, kayaking, climbing, rafting or hiking as you see fit.
3.Enjoy Adventure without Stress or Danger: Many atimes, when you are on holiday, the activities that are the part of your trip might involve danger with it. Though the danger that is involved is lifted and the professionals have accounted for every circumstance to let you experience a stress free and danger-free holiday. The most exciting thing to takeaway is the huge number of incredible memories that you can keep with you forever, while others can only dream about it.
4.Kids Get to Learn: In a family adventure holiday, many activities are meant for adults as well as kids. Allowing children to participate in the activity together with their parents. In other holiday packages, kids are sent to the kids group and are only confined to the activities that are meant purely for them. While in a family adventure holiday, they spend time with the family and get an opportunity to learn and strengthen bonding with their parents.
5.Lets You do Something that You Love: As there are several activity holidays options available with various adventure activities are a part of it, people usually choose an adventure holiday based on these activities. If you are an adventurous and active sort of person, choose a holiday package that involves the activities of your preference. Kayaking, climbing, rafting and mountain-biking in new lands are all examples of popular adventure holidays that you will love.
When taking your family on an adventure holiday, you can widen your horizons quite a bit as planning such types of holidays can be a journey in itself. All that discussing, researching, packing, getting ready and hard work will however be paid off many times over and make for the most memorable life experiences.
In the past, booking your cheap summer holidays to anywhere in the world,would require you to visit your local travel agent in the high street, choose a selection of holiday brochures and carry them home to browse through page after page of exotic locations with sunny poolside photographs, enticing you to book the holiday of your dreams within those glossy pages.
Since the recent convenience of being able to search and browse the various internet search engines, holiday consumers now have a much wider choice when deciding to booking their cheap summer holidays in their own country or when holidaying abroad.
Finding a suitable holiday or travel service to cater for every holiday consumers needs and personal budgets, has over the last few years become really fast and easy with thousands of cheap holidays and travel services available to view with a simple click of mouse.
Holiday consumers will now find that all the top and lesser known travel agents have an online presence, and every category of holiday and travel service is catered for such as flights, accommodation, car hire, airport transfers, travel insurance and a whole list of other travel services for booking cheap summer holidays online.
With these types of travel services now available on the internet, any holiday consumer has the ability to customize their own cheap summer holidays, picking and choosing which travel services they would like to use with their choice of holiday destination, without having to just accept the travel services contained in a travel agents holiday package.
Anyone who books holidays is always looking for the cheapest and best summer holiday bargain, and holiday consumers will find several dedicated holiday comparison websites that have full access to the major travel agents databases, so are able to offer the latest up to the minute pricing on a wide range of holidays and travel services.
Holiday consumers get help to find the cheapest flights, holiday accommodation, car hire, airport transfers and many other travel services which are offered by the top travel agents online. Taking the time to use this type of website service can truly reveal some great last minute deals when booking cheap summer holidays, and is highly recommended for a starting point when booking holidays online.
Many travel agents and travel services are now in direct competition with each other thanks to the wide choice of the internet, and many of the holiday websites online offer some great discounts and discount codes throughout the year, so holiday consumers should always search the internet to find the best cheap summer holidays.
The overall ease and wide range of choice when booking cheap summer holidays online, has in the last ten years resulted in thousands of holiday consumers becoming more and more confident with booking various holiday and travel services online.
With hundreds and hundreds of holiday services setting up websites online every year and thousands of holiday consumers now becoming more and more internet savvy, this trend of searching online for booking cheap summer holidays and travel services is set to grow and grow.